Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Sharon Stone, Allen & Unwin, $29.99.
It’s rightly been pointed out that The Beauty of Living Twice is ‘not your typical Hollywood autobiography … brutally honest, restless and questioning’.
American actress, producer and former fashion model, Stone tells her own story of healing, love and purpose. It’s a journey. She was one of the most renowned actresses in the world until a massive stroke cost her not only her health, but her career, family, fortune and global fame.
It has been a slow road back to wholeness and health as she records her efforts to rebuild her life. In an industry that doesn’t accept failure, in a world where too many voices are silenced, Stone found the power to return, the courage to speak up and the will to make a difference in people’s lives.
Stone talks candidly about her crucial roles, her transformative friendships, her most awful regrets and her supreme achievements. Along the way, she reveals how she went from a childhood of deeply distressing experiences and aggression to a business that in many ways resonated those same attacks, under the guise of glamour and money.
Nevertheless, there’s power and significance established in her children and in her humanitarian efforts. Eventually, she shares how she fought her way back to find not only her truth, but her family’s reconciliation and love.
Like many survivors of abuse, Stone found it difficult to escape its control, even after her grandfather’s death. Only since she’s been able to speak — to her mother, who says she was unaware of what was going on — and to other survivors does Stone feel that she and her family can be “present with one another. The real brutality of that is that it is decades later”.
Some personal revelations are surprising, though Stone’s geniality and poise are quite remarkable.
